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Google to push anti-ISIS ads in extremist search results

Search queries related to Islamic extremism might result in counter narrative advertising.

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If you find yourself doing a Google search for terms related to Islamic extremism, you might soon see anti-ISIS ads persuading you to pursue a different path. According to a report written by The Guardian, Google is using its AdWords program to serve up counter narrative advertising from select non-profits whenever anyone enters in search terms that are related to ISIS or Islamic radicalization. Google says even though it'll surface those ads more prominently, that it won't redirect users or change the search results.

"We should get the bad stuff down, but it's also extremely important that people are able to find good information, that when people are feeling isolated, that when they go online, they find a community of hope, not a community of harm," said Anthony House, a senior manager for public policy and communications at Google to a home affairs select committee hearing in the UK.

On top of surfacing these ads, Google is also promising to make counter radicalization videos easier to find on YouTube. Last month, government officials met with top tech companies in Silicon Valley to seek help in fighting ISIS on the digital front. Facebook, for example, has stated that it hopes to use its system of flagging suicidal users to also flag users who show signs of radicalization.